Male Nanny Charged In Abuse Of 12 Young Boys Across Southland

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — In May, a male nanny stepped off a plane and headed straight to jail in Laguna Beach on suspicion of molesting a young boy in his care. On Friday, Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski, 30 of Costa Mesa, was charged in 11 more cases of felony abuse, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Zakrzewski pleaded not guilty both to the original charge and to the additional charges filed against him Friday.

The boys he is accused with molesting ranged in age from four to ten-years-old, according to court records.

Zakrzewski was originally charged with three felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 14, and one felony count of oral copulation of a child under the age of 10. He was also charged with one felony count of possession of child pornography.

He pleaded not guilty to theoriginal charges in May, and remains at the Orange County Jail, being held on $1.25 million bail.

Zakrzewski now faces a total of 25 felony counts, including 19 felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 14, one felony count of oral copulation of a child under the age of 10, and one felony count of possession of child pornography, according to the OCDA's office.

He also faces one felony count of using a minor for sex acts, two felony counts of distributing pornography to a minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct, and one felony count of an attempted lewd or lascivious act with a minor under the age of 14, the OCDA's office reported.

Prosecutors allege the crimes were committed between January 1, 2016 and May 17, 2019. He faces 490 years to life if convicted on all charges.

Investigators asked for the public's help in locating any other potential victims. As the investigation progressed, additional victims were identified through video evidence and tips from the public, resulting in additional charges being filed against Zakrzewski.

In early May 2019, a Laguna Beach couple had reported to Laguna Beach Police that their babysitter, Zakrzewski, had touched their eight-year-old son inappropriately and was concerned for the safety of their son and potentially other children.

"The couple had hired Zakrzewski to care for their eight-year-old child through one of his several babysitting websites," Laguna Beach police said in a statement.

Zakrzewski called himself "the original Sitter Buddy" on his website, in which he also characterized himself as a "manny" who provided a variety of babysitting services.

"In the eighth grade I discovered what a joy it was to work with children and be a positive impact in their lives through my school's 'Buddy Program,"' he says on the Sitter Buddy website. "Now, I am a full-service TrustLine Certified provider of regular and on-demand child care, as well as mentoring services for children."

The Laguna Beach Police Department’s Major Crimes & Intelligence Unit immediately opened an investigation, which led to the identification of a second seven-year-old victim in the City of Los Angeles, and ten more boys from across Southern California.

"These parents were led to believe that they could trust this man with the most precious thing in their entire world – their children," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "Instead, he preyed on these innocent boys and violated that trust in a vile and sadistic way."

Anyone who has information related to this investigation or any other unreported incidents involving Zakrzewski is urged to call the Laguna Beach Investigations Division line at (949) 715-1300.

Zakrzewski's attorney, Matthew B. Wallin, told City News Service: "I have not yet received any reports concerning these new allegations. It is important not to speculate or come to any conclusions without a full review of the allegations and evidence. All defendants, including Mr. Zakrzewski, are entitled to the presumption of innocence."

Prosecutors allege the defendant molested the boys -- ranging in age from 4 to 10 -- between Jan. 1, 2016, through mid-May of this year.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Heidi Garrel of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.

Zakrzewski is scheduled to appear in court on November 8, 2019 at the Harbor Justice Center in Department H1.